15 Minutes vegetable noodles – Vegan and frugal Pasta

This one is a pure delight to have. When I am in a mood to treat myself with some fresh pasta, I make this. So this is kind of my get away pasta dish, where I don’t have to slog around in the kitchen making sauces or chopping loads of vegetables to get the taste right. Most of the ingredients are half ready like – Fresh egg noodles, canned beans, store bought chili sauce etc. I only have to throw all of them in a pot and then let them cook on their own, while I go get freshened up, change and turn on my favourite program on Netflix.

You may add as many vegetables as you like. I had one tiny zucchini (courgette), 1 red bell pepper (capsicum) and some spinach leaves lying there. And some onion/tomato too, goes without saying. And here became my favourite meal in a jiffy.

I know, I know… fresh egg pasta noodles are not even close to the healthy diet I often brag about in my posts. But you see, one has to eat pasta at least once a week. Its written in Kitchen Bible, which every foodie swears by. And anyway, I only have it on Sundays which is my free day. I don’t call it cheat day on purpose or else I will be tempted to cheat every day.

So you see peeps, the easy ways I adopt to keep my foodie soul content! Plus, this pasta has loads of veggies inside and almost zero preservatives (unless you use a store bought sauce, flavourings or something) I do that sometimes, adding some herbs pastes when I want an even quicker result. That helps in faster cooking and more flavours, so its a win.

What you need?

1 pack fresh egg noodles pasta

3-4 garlic pods

1 tsp grated ginger

1 tbsp of mixed herbs – oregano, parsley, rosemary etc.

1 large onion, chopped roughly

1 large tomato, chopped roughly

1 cup full of assorted vegetables – chopped ** options given in notes

1 can beans – I chose red kidney beans, you may select white beans or chickpeas as well.

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp butter

1 tsp black pepper

1/2 red chili flakes or red chili powder

Salt to taste

A handful of cilantro leaves for garnish

How to make?

Keep the chopped vegetables ready aside. Cook the noodle pasta as per the packet’s instructions, mine could be used straight away, no boiling required.

Add in chopped onion and fry for 3-4 minutes till it gets light brown in colour. Throw in all the vegetables and beans along with all the spices and 2-3 tbsp of water. Mix well, and cook this covered, for like 8-10 minutes on medium flame.

Add in the herbs, check seasoning and add pasta noodles to the wok. Gently fold it and cover the lid again, simmer for one more minute and turn off. Serve immediately, garnishing with fresh coriander leaves (cilantro)

I sometimes use fresh herbs, whatever is available in the fridge that day. I have tried fresh rosemary and mint in this and thy go perfectly.

Butter is essential to get a good taste out of vegetables in this recipe, plus it also provides a liquid base for the pasta without which it would taste a bit dry. Since we are not using any other sauce or preservatives, I think we can take this much 🙂

If you are using dried pasta – cook it as per the instructions on the packet and add to the cooked vegetables in the wok. Adding a bit of cheese would taste great in that dish.

You may also add 1 tbsp of tomato ketchup if you like the taste. Add it with the herbs and mix well, then add pasta and fold in.